MCLC: Tohti charged with separatism--3 posts

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: pjmooney <pjmooney at me.com>
Subject: Tohti charged with separatism
***********************************************************

Source: Uyghur American Association (7/30/14):
http://uyghuramerican.org/article/uyghur-american-association-appalled-sepa
ratism-charges-leveled-against-ilham-tohti.html

Uyghur American Association appalled at separatism charges leveled against
Ilham Tohti
For immediate Release

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) condemns the indictment of Ilham
Tohti on formal charges of “separatism” and calls on the Chinese
government to end its disgraceful persecution of the Uyghur scholar and
his family.

UAA believes China will not provide Ilham Tohti with a free and fair trial
that meets international standards. UAA urges the international community
to remind China of its obligations on arbitrary detention under the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to caution Chinese officials
that its approach to the Uyghur issue is creating further instability.

“The charges of separatism Mr. Tohti faces are ludicrous, even by the very
low standards of China. However, the seriousness of Ilham Tohti’s case
cannot be understated,” said UAA president, Alim Seytoff in a statement
from Washington, DC. “Not only do we see the Chinese authorities pull to
pieces the life and work of an intellectual who attempted to rationally
discuss the challenges facing the Uyghur people, but we also see Chinese
officials send an unambiguous message to all Uyghurs that dialogue on
government policy will not be tolerated.”

“The inevitable guilty verdict in Mr. Tohti’s case means the peaceful
questioning of economic discrimination, the disappearing Uyghur language
and religious intolerance will be met with severe punishment,” added Mr.
Seytoff.

Mr. Tohti, who worked as a professor at Beijing's Central Nationalities
University, has often questioned the efficacy of Chinese government
policies targeting Uyghurs citing worsening economic, social and cultural
conditions. He is also known for operating the Uighurbiz website, shutdown
since hisdetention <http://www.uighurbiz.net/redirect.html>, which offers
information on Uyghur social issues in Mandarin Chinese and has been
hosted overseas after unrest in Urumchi in 2009.

On July 30, 2014, Chinese state media reported that the Urumchi
Procuratorate formally charged Ilham Tohti
<http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0730/c1001-25372752.html> with
separatism. Since his January 15, 2014 detention in Beijing, Chinese state
media and Chinese officials have heavily prejudiced Ilham Tohti’s case.

Only three days after his detention, an op-ed
<http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/838112.shtml> in the Chinese state run
Global Times accused Tohti of links to the “West,” delivering “aggressive
lectures and being the “brains” behind alleged Uyghur terrorists.

The op-ed was followed by a January 24, 2014 statement
<http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1413164/uygur-scholar-ilham-tohti-a
ccused-separatist-offences-prosecutors> from the Urumchi Public Security
Bureau on its Weibo account alleging Tohti “made use of his capacity as a
teacher to recruit, lure and threaten some people to form a ring and join
hands with key people from the East Turkestan Independence Movement to
plan and organise people to go abroad to take part in separatist
activities [and]…was involved in splitting the country.” There is no
public record Mr. Tohti has ever advocated independence for the Uyghur
people.

A March 6, 2014 article
<http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1442049/xinjiang-official-nur-bekri
-says-evidence-against-uygur-academic-ilham> by AFP cited Xinjiang
regional chairman, Nur Bekri as stating the evidence against Ilham Tohti
was “irrefutable.” Bekri added that Chinese authorities “will safeguard
his legal rights while he is under investigation.”

A number of government and multi-lateral entities, as well as NGOs have
expressed concern over Mr. Tohti’s case, including the
United States, the European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights
Watch, Reporters Without Borders and PEN International.

At th e sixty-ninth session of theWorking Group on Arbitrary Detention
held between April 22 and May 1, 2014, a panel of five human rights
experts rendered the opinion that Ilham Tohti’s deprivation of liberty
since January 15, 2014 is arbitrary
<http://uhrp.org/press-release/un-working-group-says-chinas-deprivation-uyg
hur-scholar-ilham-tohtis-liberty-arbitrary>.

The Working Group cited China’s violation of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights in Mr. Tohti’s case—in particular, articles 9, 10, 11, 18,
19, 20 and 21.

On June 27, 2014, UHRP reported
<http://uhrp.org/press-release/condition-ilham-tohti%E2%80%99s-detention-hu
man-rights-violation.html>how Professor Tohti spoke to his lawyers about
the conditions of his incarceration during a meeting held at a  detention
facility in Urumchi on June 26, 2014. The meeting was the first between
Ilham Tohti and his lawyers, Li Fangping and Wang Yu since his detention.

During the time he was able to speak to his lawyers, Mr. Tohti said he had
been deprived of food and provided with one and a half glasses of water
during a ten-day period in March. His lawyers also learned that although
their client was receiving some medication for a number of physical
conditions he suffers, the treatment was insufficient. These allegations
place China in violation of articles 20 and 22 of the United Nations
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

According to Tibetan blogger, Woeser
<http://www.rangzen.net/2014/07/17/woeser-this-afternoons-visit-with-ilhams
-wife-and-son-collateral-damage-2/>, who is a close family friend and
managed to visit Ilham Tohti’s wife, Guzelnur on July 14, 2014, Chinese
police in Beijing have harassed Ilham Tohti’s family since his January 15
detention.

UAA calls on all concerned parties to protest the charges of separatism
leveled against Ilham Tohti and to seek his immediate and unconditional
Release.

==========================================================

From: Vanessa Frangville <vanessa.frangville at vuw.ac.nz>
Subject: Tohti charged with separatism

Sharing a very sad news.

Vanessa

---------------------------------------------------------
Source: The Guardian (7/30/14):
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/30/china-uighur-scholar-ilham-toh
ti-charged

China charges Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti with separatism
Tohti's lawyer accuses prosecutors of 'shocking' handling of case and
ignoring his rights to a defence
by Tania Branigan in Beijing

China has indicted the outspoken Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti on charges of
separatism, prosecutors have announced.

Tohti, who has been detained since January, was not informed of the latest
move directly, according to his lawyer, who accused authorities of
"shocking" handling of the case and ignoring Tohti's rights to a defence.

Supporters of the economics professor say he has not advocated
independence for the north-western region of Xinjiang and that the case
against him is retaliation for criticising government policies and
questioning official accounts of violence in or related to the region.

Before he was seized at his home in Beijing, Tohti was a rare voice for
Uighur dissatisfaction within China. Beijing says it respects local
identity and has invested heavily in the region to boost living standards,
but many in the Muslim Uighur community are unhappy at cultural and
religious restrictions, Han migration and development that they believe
has benefited others more than them. Han Chinese make up almost 92% of the
country's population.

Prosecutors in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, where Tohti is held, announced
his indictment in a statement posted online. Once charged, conviction is
all but certain, particularly in such a high-profile case. Separatism
charges in theory carry the death penalty, though they usually result in
imprisonment.

Tohti's daughter Jewher Ilham, who is studying in the US, said: "I am
angry about this, they have not followed the legal path. My father was
only trying to foster a dialogue. What they have charged him with is
untrue."

Tohti's lawyer Li Fangping, who was not allowed to see his client until
June, said: "I just saw online that Ilham Tohti's case has been
transferred to the court and it is quite shocking. Urumqi's procuratorate
has not replied to our verbal or written requests, which are both
legitimate and justifiable, for copies of audio-visual material.

"The procuratorate has failed to follow the proper procedure of informing
the defence lawyer of their decision to formally charge Ilham Tohti with
separatism. I am very shocked by the procuratorate's lack of respect for
the right to a defence."

Shortly after Tohti's detention, police alleged that he had used the
website he founded to recruit and manipulate people to "make rumours,
distort and hype up issues in a bid to create conflicts, spread separatist
thinking, incite ethnic hatred, advocate 'Xinjiang independence' and
conduct separatist activities."

They also alleged that in classes he had said Uighurs should engage in
violent struggle, and encouraged students to hate China, subvert the
government and emulate Chinese who resisted Japanese invaders in the
second world war in their opposition to the government.

Several of his students were also detained in January. It is not clear
whether all of them have been released.

Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said: "When
someone as constructive and as dedicated to finding common ground between
ethnic minorities is charged with separatism, it is extremely difficult to
find room for optimism about Xi Jinping's ethnic minority policies. It's
no longer clear to me what Beijing wants other than the apparent
eradication of any criticism – no matter how mild, peaceful or
constructive; no matter whether it's wholly within the confines of Chinese
law."

The PEN American Centre, which gave Tohti an award this year, said in a
statement: "Tohti … has never advocated violence or the separation of
Xinjiang from China. Instead, he has worked within the country's laws to
promote equal rights for all of China's citizens, and to encourage
exchange and understanding between different ethnic groups.

"The charges against Ilham Tohti reflect the Chinese government's refusal
to distinguish between peaceful advocacy and violent unrest. By targeting
Tohti based on his ideas, writings, and teachings, Beijing sends the
message that advocacy for Uighur rights is prohibited in any form. The
government claims an aim to discourage violence, but the denial of
peaceful means of expression risks having the exact opposite effect."

===================================================

From: pjmooney <pjmooney at me.com>
Subject: Tohti charged with separatism

For Immediate Release:
China: Baseless Charge Against Uighur Scholar
Indictment of Ilham Tohti Sends Wrong Signal in Volatile Region

(New York, July 31, 2014) – The Chinese government’s announcement on July
30, 2014, of “separatism” charges against the Uighur economist Ilham Tohti
is deeply disturbing, Human Rights Watch said today.

China’s state press reported online that the Urumqi People’s Procuratorate
had formally indicted Tohti, a moderate advocate of greater respect for
rights of China’s Uighur minority, for “separatism.” The charge can result
in the death penalty.

“The decision to indict on such a serious charge a man like Ilham Tohti,
who is known for trying to bridge divides, shows how far China’s human
rights have deteriorated in the past months,” said Sophie Richardson,
China director at Human Rights Watch. “It sends precisely the wrong signal
to Uighurs when tensions are at an all-time high.”

Tohti’s lawyers said the charge is based on articles published on Uighur
Online, a website Tohti founded that focused on Uighur issues. The
authorities alleged that the articles, some of which Tohti wrote and some
of which were posted by his students and volunteers, have “subversive
intent.” The charge is also based on Tohti’s interviews with foreign
media. None of these articles or interviews incited violence or terrorism,
according to his lawyers. The authorities have also cited as evidence
Tohti’s lectures at Beijing Minzu University of China, where he taught.
The authorities have refused to hand over videotape copies of the lectures
to his lawyers, nor have the lawyers received a copy of the indictment.

There is no publicly available evidence that Tohti engaged in any form of
speech or behavior that could be construed by any objective standard as
inciting violence or unlawful action, Human Rights Watch said.

Tohti, who is originally from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region
(XUAR), was taken into police custody in Beijing on January 15. The
Xinjiang police quickly transferred him to Urumqi, the region’s capital.
On January 24, his wife received a formal criminal detention notification
that Tohti was being held in Urumqi under “separatism” charges. On January
25, the Urumqi Public Security Bureau issued an online statement accusing
Tohti of having “engaged in separatist activities” and having “fanned
ethnic hatred.” He was formally arrested for “separatism” on February 25.

Tohti was not allowed access to his lawyers for over five months, until
June 26. Police rejected the lawyers’ requests on the grounds that the
case “endangers state security.” Tohti told his lawyers that he was not
given food for 10 days and was shackled for 20 days.

Tohti has been outspoken and critical of many Chinese government policies
in Xinjiang and toward the Uighur community. But he has always clearly
stated in his writings and in the interviews he regularly gave to the
foreign media that he opposed Uighur independence or separatism. Tohti
denied the charges against him in the June 26 meeting with his lawyer.

There have been multiple incidents of serious violence in Xinjiang in
recent months, most recently in Shache County, Kashgar, on July 28.
Chinese state media reported that a group armed with knives attacked the
town government building and police station, killing or injuring dozens of
Hans and Uighurs. The report has not been independently confirmed.

The Chinese government has characterized this and other attacks as
“premeditated” terror attacks, though many details about the attacks are
unclear due to tight control over information from, and access to, the
region.

The Chinese government has responded to escalating violence in Xinjiang
with a yearlong crackdown, detaining and sentencing dozens of alleged
terrorists.

While the Chinese government has legitimate security concerns in the
region, it systematically conflates peaceful dissent with the use or
advocacy of antigovernment violence and fails to acknowledge Uighur
grievances. The government typically describes the grievances as tactics
designed to foster separatism, religious extremism, or terrorism in the
region. Uighurs have described in detail diverse human rights abuses in
the region, including pervasive ethnic discrimination, severe religious
repression, increasing cultural suppression, lack of respect for fair
trials, and extralegal abuses such as enforced disappearances.

“The Chinese government appears determined to silence Uighurs like Tohti,
who for years has tried to peacefully express Uighurs’ legitimate
grievances and advocate peaceful solutions,” Richardson said. “Demonizing
moderates like Tohti won’t bring peace to the region.”

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on China, please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/asia/china

For more information, please contact:

In Washington, DC, Sophie Richardson (English, Mandarin): +1-202-612-4341;
or +1-917-721-7473 (mobile); or richars at hrw.org
In Hong Kong, Maya Wang (English, Mandarin): +852-8170-1076 (mobile); or
wangm at hrw.org